A Recent Development
by ShutUpAndPull
Summary: A story in response to the following prompt: S1 - Beckett has to attend a family gathering (wedding, reunion, etc.), something that takes place over a few days. Her distant family's always been bugging her about finding "Mr. Right" so she ends up taking Castle as her boyfriend - cute awkwardness, closeness, feelings ensue.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The team of NYPD three plus one raised its bottles and toasted to a case well solved as they stood huddled around Kate's desk in celebratory mood, Montgomery's early departure that afternoon having permitted them the indulgence. It'd been a particularly difficult case, one involving a victim far too young and far too innocent, and its resolution had certainly earned them the dose of decompression.

"I still can't believe you kicked that dirtbag in the balls like that, Castle," Javi lauded with delight.

"It was pretty epic," Kevin chimed in in agreement. "Guy never saw it coming."

Rick blew on his fingernails and rubbed them across his lapel with conceit. "Stick with me, gents, and I shall learn you my many wondrous ways."

"The guy was already on the ground gasping for air, Castle," Kate pointed out, reminding him of his place. "You'll be lucky if he doesn't sue."

"Jealous I beat you to it, huh, Detective?" Rick retorted, immune to her attempted burst of his bubble. "I'll let you take the next package, how about that?" Javi and Kevin snickered in unison, and Rick's smug grin only grew with their encouragement.

"How about you zip it and I might let you stick around for the next one," Kate snapped, quieting the peanut gallery as she reached for her buzzing cell phone. "Hey, Dad," she answered, and the men clinked their bottle necks together yet again. "What time am I...shit, that's already this weekend?" The volume of her voice caused every head in the bull pen to snap in her direction, and her eyes drifted to Rick who looked back inquisitively, causing her to swiftly break away. "No, Dad, of course I'll be there," she assured him, sounding utterly miffed. "I'll call you when I leave here tomorrow. Yeah, love you, too, bye."

She stared crossly at her phone after she hung up, as though cursing it for delivering the reminder. "Everything cool, Beckett?" Javi asked. "You going somewhere with your pops this weekend?"

Kate pushed back from her desk and out of her chair. "We can deal with the rest of the paperwork tomorrow, you guys. I'm taking off." She grabbed her keys and her jacket without another word and walked off for the elevator.

Javi gave Kevin a look and they both gave Rick a look in turn, so he took off after her, catching her with one foot in the elevator. "Hey, that was all pretty sudden. Are you okay? Is your dad?"

"He's fine, Castle," she said in a tone that reflected anger with herself, not with him. The elevator door beeped at her, irritated at being held open longer than it cared to be. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"I guess, yeah, later," Rick agreed, hesitatingly so, and she disappeared from view.

 **xxxx**

Kate left the precinct and headed for home, her options for the weekend she'd agreed weeks ago to be a part of preoccupying her mind. There were many things about herself she didn't understand, and the "plus one" RSVP she'd returned for this party was now forefront among them. At the time, she thought it would be easier than dealing with all the inevitable questions; she was so sick and tired of being asked about a man in her life, as though having one was some sort of magic wand that made everything better. She'd had men. It didn't.

And her Aunt Theresa-the birthday girl- was the worst one of all, the one who always asked if she could give out Kate's phone number to men she'd met at the market or engaged her in absurd conversations about what happens to a woman's body when it goes too long without sex. If she was anyone else's relative, Kate would surely find it amusing, but she wasn't, and it was exhausting.

She drove the unmarked home, knowing she'd have to bring a weekend bag with her in the morning, and she turned onto her street, circling the block twice in an unsuccessful search for a parking spot. She finally stopped in front of a fire hydrant and flipped on the hazards, pulled her phone from her pocket and called up Rick's number. She exhaled a sigh and had nearly pressed the button to dial before being distracted by a couple walking by. They were hand in hand and blissfully enamored of one another, and Kate turned back to her phone, to his name. It had to be face-to-face. Knowing him, there would be too much explanation involved and too much to make clear. Twenty minutes later, she pulled up to his building.

"Why, Katherine, hello," Martha said when she pulled open the loft door and found Kate on the other side. "To what do I owe the pleasure of an NYPD detective's visit this evening?"

"Hi, Martha, I'm sorry to just show up like this. He remembered me at the desk downstairs, so he said I could just come up."

"Well of course you should, darling, and look at you, for goodness' sake. Of course he remembered. Believe me, my son isn't the only one on whom you've made an impression." She reached out and gently tugged Kate inside. "Come in, come in," she said. "I was just about to pour myself a glass. Would you like one? If you're not on the clock, of course."

"I'm fine, Martha, thanks," Kate replied, furtively glancing around the loft for any sign of Rick.

"Richard said you all solved a big case today, congratulations. Well, to be honest, he took most of the credit. I imagine you're terribly shocked to hear that," she added wryly, leading Kate towards the kitchen. "You know, I don't believe I've properly thanked you for what you've done for him, Katherine. He truly is like a new man these days."

Kate looked at her curiously. She'd only known Rick for a few months and couldn't imagine what she'd done to deserve such glowing recognition. "I'm not sure that has much to do with me, Martha. I'm just-"

"Nonsense," Martha interjected with a swish of her hand. "You are far too modest, my dear. Now, it is true, my son has a gift with words, yes, but in the months before he met you, he had lost his love for them, and whatever spell it is you've cast has restored their connection. As his very proud and grateful mother, I offer you my thanks," she said, holding high her as yet empty glass.

Kate truly didn't know how to respond. Praise wasn't a place of comfort for her, especially when she felt it unwarranted. "Well, I'm glad to hear that, Martha," she offered as a hopeful out. "Um, speaking of Castle, is he here, by any chance?"

"Oh, not yet, darling, no," Martha said as she poured. "He phoned a little while ago to say he was stopping to pick up something for dinner, though, so I expect him shortly. Are you sure I can't get you something?"

Kate's mouth suddenly felt dry with the anticipation of his arrival. "Maybe some water, if it's not too much trouble."

"Beautiful _and_ sensible, you see? It's no wonder you serve as such divine inspiration," Martha beamed. "One water, coming right up."

The loft's door opened just as Martha uncapped the water bottle to empty into a glass, and Rick kicked it shut behind him, a bag in each hand. "Thai has arrived, Mother," he called out, having not yet caught sight of her or their unexpected guest.

"Hello, Richard," she replied at half the volume. "Hope you brought home enough for three. Look who's come by."

"Beckett," he said, stopping in his tracks. "What are you doing here? I thought you went home."

"I'll get the plates," Martha mumbled, purposely ducking away, though no one was really paying any attention.

"Hey, Castle," Kate said as he made his way over. "Yeah, I did, but then...there's actually something I wanted to talk to you about, if you have a minute."

Rick set the bags of food up on the bar and pulled off his jacket. "For you, Detective, I have two, but maybe some food first? I bought enough for a football team, as usual."

"Honestly, Richard, there are people going hungry all over this city," Martha chimed in with her back still turned to both of them.

Kate smiled softly as Rick stuck his tongue out at his mother without her knowing it. "You don't have to feed me, Castle. I just need a few minutes, really."

"Oh, so now it's a few minutes? Well, I'm sorry, but I solved an important case today for the NYPD and I'm starving. I'm not sure I can make it through a few minutes without something in my stomach, so..." He pulled out one of the stools and gestured for her to sit. "Thai then talk, deal?"

Kate rolled her eyes for a multitude of reasons, but sat nonetheless. "You solved an important case today, huh? You know, I'm surprised a supposedly talented writer such as yourself has never heard of the pronoun 'we,' Castle," she teased, striking out at his grandiosity. "When's your birthday? Maybe I'll buy you a dictionary."

He pulled out the stool next to hers and dropped onto it. "Want to know the first word I'll look up? Sarcasm," he lobbed back with another flash of his tongue.

 **xxxx**

Martha excused herself after they all had a bite to eat, her exit preceded by a motherly admonishment to Kate to work on accepting recognition when recognition was deserved. Kate accepted the advice with a smile and hoped Rick hadn't overheard, but, unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky. All she wanted was to get the embarrassment of what she'd come to do over with and get the hell out of there.

"What was that about, what Mother said? Oh, wait, if she was trying to pull that whole life coach thing on you, I'm telling you right now, do not sign up, not on an NYPD salary, which, in an ironic twist is a crime, if you ask me." He reached for Kate's plate but stopped before pulling it away. "Sure I can't get you any more? For someone who didn't want to eat, you sure did impress-and, yes, that was deserved recognition," he remarked cleverly.

"She wasn't pulling anything, Castle, and thank you, I've had more than enough...of a lot of things," she groused, though playfully so. "No, we were just, you know, having a little chat before you got home about how I've single-handedly turned your writing career around. That's all." She sipped from the wine she'd eventually conceded to, taking in his reaction from beneath her lashes. "I tried to tell her how silly a notion that was, but she just wouldn't listen. Selective hearing must run in the family."

Rick continued to busily wipe down the counter in the ensuing lull. "I'm sorry, did you say something, Detective?" he quipped, flicking her with droplets of water from his damp fingers. "I kid, of course, but Mother wasn't, actually," he continued, pivoting for the sink. "You have done that. Who knows what the hell I'd be doing if you hadn't come along. Well, besides continuing to grace the world with my endless wit and charm, I mean." He stepped back towards her with waggle of his brow. "I'd be more than happy to demonstrate just how grateful I am, if you're interested."

She thought on it a moment-or pretended to for effect-and left him stewing in her silence, realizing as they stared each other down that that was her way in. "Come to think of it, Castle," she began, and he pushed in closer across the counter, "there is something I'd like you to do."

"I like the sound of this already," he broke in enthusiastically. "Name it, and do it slowly."

Suddenly, all the uneasiness Kate had arrived with faded away. She knew well enough by now how to play his game, and how to beat him at it. Pushing in towards him from her side of the bar, they were within inches of each other, her eyes on his, then on his lips and back up again. The realization that she could probably get him to do just about anything for her in that moment instantly fueled her buzz, and she liked it.

"I want you...to come with me..." she said deliberately, seductively even, before pushing the rest of her thought out in rapid-fire fashion, "to a family event upstate this weekend and to pretend that we're dating."

Rick never broke eye contact, never flinched, never changed his expression, and though she masked it well, he could tell how rattled she was by it. "Okay," he replied simply, and that was all.

Kate backed away from him with the distinct look of a suspicious cop. "Okay?" Her tone-it almost seemed she didn't understand.

"Sure? Yes? You bet?" he offered whimsically in its place. "Would you prefer one of those?"

"You're agreeing just like that? No questions asked?"

Rick swallowed his grin, wholly amused by her reaction to the answer he assumed she came there for. "Look, Beckett, I may not be the smartest man out there, but I'm certainly not stupid. A very hot woman just asked me to go away and play with her for the weekend. Why the hell would I pass up a chance like that?"

Kate raised her finger in objection before he even finished talking. "A very hot woman with a gun just asked you to perform a service as a friendly favor, Castle. And you should make sure you understand that distinction right now or, I promise, you risk injury."

"Tomayto, tomahto, hot woman. Either way, I'm in." He spun again on his heels and tossed the sponge across the kitchen into the sink like a basketball. "Sexy, right? I do have one requirement, though, and it's a deal breaker, Detective."

"What do you want, Castle?" she asked with a sigh of irritation.

"Well, and that question sounds good on you, by the way," he said interrupting himself, "yours truly gets to drive this time."

Kate shook her head, having expected something exactly that adolescent. "Fine, but don't get used to it, Castle, because it won't be happening again."

"Oh, this is gonna be fun," he chirped.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Kate had been hearing it all day from Kevin and Javi, ever since Rick had opened his big mouth and spilled about the weekend. She knew she only had herself to blame, of course, for trusting him when he told her he could manage to keep it to himself. She'd long since learned better than that. And even worse than the two knowing about it, once it was out Rick insisted upon feeding their frenzy, mostly because, as was so often the case, he simply couldn't help himself.

"So, Castle, you nervous about meeting the pops for the first time?" Javi asked waggishly as Kate checked her watch for the umpteenth time that afternoon. She'd told her father she'd be on her way by 3PM, and, thankfully, the hour was finally within welcome reach.

"Are you kidding? Parents love me, Esposito. In fact, they come in just behind NYPD detectives in the Richard Castle love line." He looked over at Kate from his chair beside her desk and batted his eyelashes. "Isn't that right, schnookums?"

"God, this is going to be a nightmare," she mumbled, shoving a stack of paperwork in Javi's direction. "Do something with this please, Espo. Way over there."

"Maybe try a new pet name, bro. She's giving you a look," Javi advised Rick with a grin before scurrying off.

Rick reached over and grabbed a handful of candy from the dish on Kate's desk. "What am I getting a look for? I was just having a bit of fun, Detective, that's all. Some practice for the weekend. You should try it. You might like it, you know."

"You should've tried keeping your mouth shut, Castle, like I asked you to," she scolded. "I might've liked that."

"Touché," he replied sounding rather blasé. "I really didn't mean to say anything, I swear. You know, it's actually probably your fault, now that I think about it. Your badass interrogation skills have obviously rubbed off on the boys. I'm sure I didn't even know what I was saying."

"Yeah, no kidding, I've read your books," Kate quipped.

"Hey, wait a second," he exclaimed, slapping her desk with his palm. "Are we having our first fight as a couple?" He eyed her up and down in her seat. "That's kind of hot. What do you say? Make up time on the bear skin rug by firelight tonight?"

Kate looked at her watch again without acknowledging his drivel, decided it was close enough and that she'd had enough. She pushed back from her desk and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair. "Let's go, Castle. Hey, you two chatterboxes," she called out to Javi and Kevin across the pen, "I'm going. I have my cell," she told them and turned for the elevator with Rick in tow.

"Have fun, lovebirds," Javi said, throwing in a goofy wave.

"Take lots of pictures," Kevin added to an amused nudge from his partner.

Montgomery happened to step from his office at that exact moment and watched as the elevator doors pushed closed with Kate and Rick inside. "Lovebirds? Did I miss something?" he asked of his smiling detectives, and the two just laughed.

 **xxxx**

"All that money for this car and you don't even want to drive it," Kate commented once they were finally clear of the city and able to find some space on the road. "It's a damn shame, Castle." It wasn't anything she would've chosen for herself, but its beauty certainly couldn't be denied, and she found herself quite taken with it.

"Are you knocking my driving now, Detective? Is that what you're doing? You know, I bet if you kept to yourself all the things I do or don't do that annoy you, you'd hardly have anything to talk to me about at all." He said it with a light air, but there was something behind it that came through.

Kate turned hoping to catch his eye, to share a look, to reassure him, but he didn't reciprocate, and she immediately began to wonder if she made him feel that way all the time. "That's not true, Castle," she said, and she truly believed that. As incredible as it was, given her initial impressions of him of just a few months before, she now understood far better who he was and who he wasn't, and though he didn't know it because she hadn't dared say, she'd come to appreciate him in her life-to enjoy him, more than that. "You'd never be my boyfriend if that was the case," she joked, aiming for the laugh as she imagined he'd appreciate.

"That's cute, very cute." A quiet moment followed and they allowed themselves to linger in it comfortably before Rick spoke again. "I realized this morning I never actually asked you about this weekend, well, about me and this weekend. I mean, you're you, so I'm sure there were plenty of people you could've asked, and though it pains me to say it, I'm guessing I'm probably about as far down on that list as one can get."

There wasn't an outright question there, and yet there was, and Kate knew she could go in one of two directions: either feed him a line, which she doubted he'd buy, or tell him the truth, even though it wasn't particularly flattering to either of them. She opted for the latter. "Honestly, I forgot this party was even happening this weekend. Had I remembered, I might not have had to drag you along at the last minute, though this long list of potential dates you think exists doesn't, believe me."

"I'm sorry, but I find that impossibly difficult to believe," Rick responded, genuine in his surprise.

"You've been working with us at the 12th long enough to know what my schedule is like, Castle. I barely have time to make a grocery list, let alone any other kind."

He exhaled a chuckle, but let the twinge of excitement he felt in her honesty pass without comment. "Well, for the record and whatever the reason was, I'm glad you asked. I know family things can sometimes be frustrating-believe me, I know this-but hopefully you're able to enjoy it, too. If nothing else, the fresh air and the peace and quiet should do you some good, right?"

"Quiet," Kate muttered, shaking her head. "That's a good one. My Aunt Theresa is turning fifty, Castle, and she's invited all her girlfriends. Knowing her, she'll probably have a lamp shade on her head by the end of the first hour."

"Oh, so ladies in your family _do_ know how to have a good time," he wisecracked. "I think I like this aunt of yours already. Is she single?"

"Drive the car, Castle," she said, giving him the side-eye.

 **xxxx**

A couple of hours later, they found themselves at the Beckett family cabin in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. There was a bite in the breeze of the early-spring evening, but a welcome one, one best enjoyed absent the impeding superstructures of the city. Rick's was only the second car there, Jim Beckett having already arrived and the festivities set for the following day, and Kate directed him to pull around to the side of the house where there wasn't a chance it could be damaged by any of the other guests. That's how pretty it was.

"Whoa, this place is pretty cool," Rick said excitedly, stepping from the car for a good first look. "I wish we had a place like this when I was growing up."

Kate smiled softly and watched him take it in. "You could build yourself a thousand of these places, Castle. In fact, maybe you should. That might free up my days a bit."

"Oh, no, no, Detective, sorry, I'm having way too much fun with your days. You're not getting rid of me that easily," he protested. "But, maybe Heat and Rook could rendezvous at a place like this to have…" He abruptly stopped when he noticed Kate's expression. "…Tea and a game of Backgammon, I was going to say," he continued with a shrug. "What? I was."

"Look, Castle, I know we're supposed to be pretending this weekend that we're dating, but let's not overdo it, okay?" She could feel her nerves beginning to kick up again. "I just mean it doesn't have to be, like, a big production."

"I'm not my mother, Detective. You don't have to worry. I think I can handle this."

"Why doesn't that make me feel any better?"

Rick came around the car and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Come on, honey bunny, let's go meet Dad," he teased, knowing it would drive her absolutely crazy.

Kate called out for her father when they entered the house and didn't see him right away, and from down the side hallway he came. Rick observed the resemblance between father and daughter immediately, in both appearance and in manner, and he felt quickly at ease, just as he had when he'd met Kate that night months ago.

"Why is it I have to drive two hundred miles to see a daughter that lives in the next borough, huh?" Jim hugged Kate dearly. "It's good to see you, Katie."

"You too, Dad," Kate said with a tenderness in her voice Rick hadn't heard from her often.

Rick stepped up and introduced himself as the Becketts broke from their embrace. "Rick Castle, sir. It's good to meet you. And I haven't seen much of it yet, but I already love your place. Thanks for having me up." The men shook hands as Kate looked on, wondering what the hell the weekend was going to bring.

"Well, you can thank Katie for that, Rick. Quite frankly, if it wasn't for Theresa, I'd be home with the Yankees game on, no offense." He turned to Kate and winked, clearly much the happy father to have her around him. "And thank you for the compliment. I'm quite fond of the place, myself. Wish I was able to get up here more often, minus the rowdy birthday bash, of course."

"Yeah, Kate mentioned her aunt can be a bit-" His voice trailed off as he searched for an appropriately polite way to put it.

"Oh, that's exactly right. She can be a bit," Jim interjected humorously. "Lucky for us, she can only turn fifty once." He looked around and noticed neither had brought in any bags. "You guys didn't bring your stuff inside? Would you like me to go grab it?"

"No, no, I've got it, thanks. I'll be right back," Rick told them before kissing Kate on the cheek.

Once he was gone, Kate quietly released the breath she was holding and she felt her shoulders drop. "I've missed this place," she said to Jim, taking a few more steps inside. "It smells exactly the same. I always love that."

"I know you do. So did your mother."

"Yeah," she whispered.

"So, we're dating our writer now, are we? Since when?" Jim asked, more interested than disappointed he didn't know about it. "And, by the way, he doesn't seem like the pain in the ass you've made him out to be."

"Give it five more minutes, Dad." How well she knew. "And the dating is…a pretty recent development." She almost burst out laughing at just how recent.

Rick came back in with their bags a few seconds later and Kate said she'd show him where to set them down. "Have any beer in the fridge, Dad?" she asked as she moved for the hallway that housed her old room.

"Got some Blue Moon this afternoon, just for you."

"Love you," she hollered as she hung a left into the bedroom.

Rick nearly walked into her as he crossed the threshold, not having realized she was standing just inside the doorway. "Everything okay?" he asked, dropping the bags aside.

"Remember that little chat we had out at the car about not overdoing it, Castle?" she said, trying her best to keep her voice down. He stared back at her blankly with no idea as to her point. "That kiss? That's what I was talking about."

He wanted desperately to laugh, but because, apparently, he already found himself in a bit of a hole, he swallowed it. "Beckett, come on, I kissed you on the cheek, I didn't slip you tongue. We're supposed to be dating, not brother and sister, and I suspect your father was probably fine with it."

She knew he was right. She hated that he was right and that what he'd done had done...something. "He already likes you. I can tell," she admitted sourly.

"I told you. Parents love me," he nodded. "And he seems great-funny. I like funny." He shot a quick glance around the room then, noting the one bed, but he thought better of bringing it up lest he suffer any potential consequence. "So, do we need to chat about your dos and don'ts or can I get a full tour of the place?"

"Come on," she grumbled in concession. "But I definitely need a beer first."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The three sat around the table and talked over a beer and some homemade soup, it being the one thing Jim knew how to cook well, he admitted, thanks only to Kate's mother, and Kate found herself drawn in by the surprising easiness between him and Rick. She couldn't remember the last man she'd introduced to her father, not that what she was doing that weekend was really the same thing, she secretly knew, but Rick had somehow begun to weave himself into the fabric of her life, and something felt oddly right in their meeting, regardless of its rather improvised nature.

"You know, I actually went out and bought one of your books, Rick," Jim said, sounding almost proud of the gesture. "Katie told me she had all of her copies packed away somewhere, so I got my own, and I will admit that while it wasn't my usual cup of tea, I found that I really enjoyed it."

"Well, that's very kind of you, Jim, and what a shame you couldn't just borrow one of Kate's," he responded with as much control as he could muster, given the delicious morsel that had just landed in his lap. "I'll have to help you find those, huh, sweetie," he said to her, landing a hand on her knee beneath the table. Without breaking from her he continued speaking across the table. "If you enjoyed Derrick Storm, Jim, I hope you'll give Nikki Heat a try when she hits the stands. I'll even send you a copy, so you don't have to go out and buy one."

"Nikki Heat is...?"

"That would be me, Dad," Kate revealed begrudgingly, the name as yet unspoken because it still embarrassed her to say it out loud. "My character's name in Rick's new book is Nikki Heat."

"Why do you say it like that? I think it sounds like a good book-cop name," Jim replied, unconsciously joining Team Rick. "It's certainly catchy."

Her father was so sweet; she couldn't possibly hold his unwitting allegiance against him. "Et tu, Dad?" she teased and he winked at her. She finally flicked Rick's hand from her knee and he pulled it back into his own lap. "I think I'm going to go and clean this stuff up. By all means, you two sit here and continue your profound literary discussion."

"You sure, Katie?"

"You cooked, Dad. I can handle this. Just make sure you keep an eye on this one," she admonished, pointing at Rick. "He seems to get himself into trouble with very little effort."

"You love that about me and you know it, Detective," Rick chimed in in his own defense. Kate grinned and wandered off for the kitchen, empty bowls in hand. "She really is quite something," he said reverently, still staring off in the direction she'd gone, though he could no longer see her. "I don't think I've ever known anyone like her."

"I don't think I have either, Rick, fatherly bias aside." Jim folded up his napkin and tossed it on the table. "I actually didn't know the two of you had started dating until tonight, not that I should. Katie tends to keep a lot of things to herself."

Rick returned from his moment, but he could hear Kate humming over the sound of the running water, so part of him remained. "It's, um, it's a pretty recent development, honestly." _Hours recent_ , his brain screamed before a villainous laugh. "We're still sort of feeling things out, you know, since we work together and all of that. It can be a delicate road to navigate."

"Well, I know I've just met you, but you seem like a good guy to me, Rick, and I'm sure you already know this, but Beckett women are tough. Don't let that scare you off, because I promise you they're worth every minute."

"Oh, I can assure you, sir, the very last thing your daughter could possibly do is scare me off," Rick said, and no matter what the context of his words, he meant them.

 **xxxx**

There was a small bit of light left in the day, the gift of a cloudless spring sky, and Jim suggested Kate take Rick for a walk out to the pond. It sat off the back of his property, not near enough to see from the house, but connected by a path of overgrowth about calf-high, one he and Kate wandered often during their family trips up to the cabin.

"It always amazes me how big the sky seems when you get out of the city," Rick said as insects of the night serenaded them from all sides. "I seriously might have to look into getting a place out here. How's the internet signal?"

"Yeah, you really seem to have your finger on the pulse of country living, Castle. You'd fit right in."

"Yes, I will admit, I'm a bit spoiled, but I think I could do it." He considered it further for a minute as they walked on. "Or maybe I could just visit every now and again, get my fill in small doses. I'd probably appreciate it more that way, anyway. Hey," he said, poking her on the arm, "who knows? Maybe you'll even want to invite me back here sometime for real."

Kate chuckled at how quickly he seemed to talk himself out of his own grand plan. "This fantasy of yours is growing more outlandish by the minute, Castle. I can't imagine what'll come next."

"You mock, Detective, but you're going to enjoy yourself this weekend and I'm going to see to that, and when I do, I think your tune just might change." He sounded as sure of himself as ever, and she'd quietly admitted to herself more than once that despite that trait's uncanny ability to aggravate, it wasn't entirely undesirable. "I have a way, you know."

"Tell me about it," Kate mumbled as the clearing came into view. "So, here it is. You can't see much of it now, obviously, but it's a really pretty spot during the day." With the help of a pocket flashlight she brought along, they made their way around the pond's bend to an old wooden bench. "My dad built this for us when I was a kid-for my mom, mostly. We'd come out here with nets and buckets and spend all day trying to catch minnows and spot turtles and stuff. She'd usually just sit here with a book and watch, keep us company."

"It seems like this place is really special to your family."

"A lot of good memories," Kate agreed thoughtfully.

"Your dad mentioned her a couple of times tonight...your mother." He let that sit for a minute before he went on. "I'm never quite sure if I should ask you about her or not, which is why I don't, and I only say that because I want you to know it's not that I'm not interested. I assure you I'm very interested in all things Kate Beckett-related."

"Huh, Kate Beckett never would've guessed that, what with all the following around and meddling," she lobbed back playfully before continuing in a more somber tone. "I like talking about her, Castle, I do, but that doesn't mean it's always easy. I have days where I don't want to think about her at all and days where that's happily all I do, so if you can understand that and respect that, you don't need to walk on eggshells."

"I can do that, absolutely, and I'm very glad I'll have the opportunity to learn more about her."

He was fidgety all of a sudden, and Kate could tell he was itching to say something more. "Is there, by chance, something you'd like to ask me about her right now, Castle?"

"Kinda, yeah. Is that okay?" he answered swiftly, practically jumping on her words.

"You better go ahead before you fall off the bench," she said, swiping his face with the beam of the flashlight.

Rick swiveled his entire body towards her, threw one leg over to the opposite side. "How do you think your mom would feel about the name Nikki Heat?"

Kate rolled her eyes, though it'd grown too dark for him to appreciate it, and she pushed up from the bench, leaving his body unsteady in the absence of her counterweight. "Time to go inside, Castle," she said, walking off. "I need another drink."

 **xxxx**

Jim had a bottle of Macallan 18 tucked into the back of one of the cabinets-a gift some years back from a grateful client-and they all enjoyed a glass together when Rick and Kate returned from their walk. Jim excused himself a short time later, his fear the following day might be more than he could handle without ample rest and the embracement of peace and quiet while he still had it, leaving the two alone as they'd never been.

"I feel like I don't meet a lot of genuine people these days," Rick said from his corner of the couch. Kate was tucked into the other, swirling the ice around her empty glass. "Your father feels like one of the few, not that I'm surprised given, well, you."

"That's pretty cynical of you, Castle. Are we having a _Freaky Friday_ moment here? Did we switch bodies or something?"

He tossed her a sultry glance. "No, your body is definitely-"

Kate put a quick end to his thought with a hand. "Stop. Forget I said anything." She reached over and set her glass on the table before tucking her legs back up. "And, yes, my dad is exactly as you see him. He's been through a lot, but he's always had one of the purest hearts I've ever known."

"That's funny," he said aloud, more for himself than for her.

"It's funny?"

"Oh, no, not, like, laugh funny. That's not what I meant. It just struck me the way you put it because if someone asked me, I would actually describe you the very same way." He turned to her and she immediately looked away. "Sorry, I know compliments make you uncomfortable. I guess now it's your turn to forget _I_ said anything."

And that's exactly what made it so hard-him so hard-was things like that. Her attraction to him had been something she'd felt instantly. Physically speaking, he'd checked all the boxes, and there was little she could do to control her response to that. But her early resistance to his character, to what he seemed to her to be, once mighty in its will, had along the way begun to break down, and now she often found herself in moments like that one, with a want of something she couldn't quite explain and that she had no idea what to do with.

"Attention isn't easy for everyone, Castle," she said, her implication clear.

"No, and I get that, I do. But, I hope you can understand that it also isn't easy to let something or someone so worthy of attention pass. If it were, I wouldn't be out there on the streets risking my life with you every day."

Kate tried not to giggle, but with the help of the scotch, it managed to escape. "You're such a writer. I really wonder if you actually hear some of the things you say." She uncurled her legs and stood up, reached for both of their glasses, and headed for the kitchen. "I'll be right back."

"You should hear some of the things I don't," he said into the empty room, softly he thought.

She returned from the other room after no time at all. "Did you say something?" she asked, hitting the switch for the overhead light and setting the room near-dark.

"Just that I could sure use a good night's sleep," he fibbed because it was easier. "I bet you can hear shooting stars out here."

Kate crossed the room and stopped behind the couch where he sat. "You live in a penthouse, Castle, in SoHo. My guess is your nights pass pretty peacefully up there."

"As you so complimentarily pointed out, Detective, I'm a writer. I was merely trying to paint a verbal picture, as is a writer's duty."

"Well, holster your brush, Castle. Tomorrow's going to be a long day, so I'm going to bed," she told him, already several steps gone before he sprung up to follow. "You can have the bathroom first. There should be towels in the cabinet under the sink."

They hadn't talked about the sleeping arrangements yet, but Rick remembered well that her room only had one bed in it. He went off to the bathroom with his bag and changed and brushed, and when he returned he found Kate dressed in sleep clothes, as well-a pair of leggings and an oversized shirt. "It's a little bit weird to see you out of your precinct clothes. Is that...weird?" he said, thrown by the unexpected softness of her look.

"First of all, stop staring at me like that, and second of all, I'm wearing pants and a shirt, Castle, like I always do." She stepped around to the left side of the bed and pulled the comforter from beneath the pillows at the head. "Those shorts are new for you, though," she added, deliberately taking him in to achieve her maximum desired effect.

"Hey, now you stop," he protested, feigning modesty. "I have friends who are cops and I can make things happen."

Kate tossed one of the pillows at his head and it landed its mark, dropping to the floor after bouncing off of his nose. "The things you believe, Castle, I swear."

He bent for the pillow and tucked it beneath his arm on the way up. "You don't even know the half of it," he told her, glancing over his shoulder at the darkened hallway. "So, I guess, wake me if you're up first? I'd love to go back out to the pond and get a better look before showtime." He stepped backwards into the doorway as she looked on. "Sleep well, Detective."

"You're..." She didn't say anything more before he answered the question she didn't ask.

"I'm going out to the couch, yeah. You should...I'll be good. I'll be fine," he stammered. "This is your room and your bed and I'm good and fine."

"Okay, well, can I at least get you a blanket or something then?"

"Nope, I'm good, thank you," he assured her before disappearing from view. "I'm fine," she heard from a voice a few steps away.

Kate sat there on the bed for a time without moving, without doing anything but wondering why the hell a part of her suddenly felt disappointed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Rick was up with the sun, not so much by choice as by the insistent creep of its rays, which breached the glass doors opposite his makeshift bed and caught his face as they inched the new day across the room. The cabin was quiet all around him, almost eerily so, and though he was tempted to go and knock on Kate's door, he decided better of it, chose to let her enjoy her sleep, and instead wandered out across the back lawn and down the dewy path towards the pond alone.

The tall grass and the weeds tickled his bare legs as he stepped, still clothed in only the shorts and tee he'd gone to sleep in, since his bag of clothes was behind Kate's closed door, but it felt sweet, somehow, the uncommon sensation. There was a nip in the early air-more so than the evening before-one his lungs embraced and his weary eyes appreciated, and in the silence of the vastness around him, it almost felt as though he was the only person awake in all the world, certainly not like anything he could ever experience in the city.

Upon arriving at the pond, he stood, first, at the water's edge, its surface like the glass of a mirror in its calm. The clouds above sailed overhead on the breeze, creating patterns in their reflections as they danced with the light of the sun. Rick closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, not often a man for embracing the world's more placid moments, but rare did a like opportunity present itself. And he was tired. There was that, too. He'd spent most of the night tossing and turning on the couch, his mind anything but in sync with the hour of the clock, wondering if something might've been different with Kate had he not fled her room with such spectacularly awkward haste.

It seemed unlikely, though. He knew that. She was about as generous with her patience as someone could be given his proficiency in pressing her buttons, which he admittedly-if only to himself-did enjoy. And she'd already and very honestly told him why he was there that weekend, the reality of which didn't exactly land in the Kate-wants-to-spend-time-with-Rick column. But there was still some small collection of seconds in her bedroom before he walked away that felt, for lack of a better word, different, and that feeling was the tiny bee that'd buzzed around his brain all night.

He eventually parked himself on the old bench and remained there for the better part of an hour, until a chill took hold from sitting stationary for that long. He found Kate standing out on the deck zipping up her sweatshirt when he got back to the house, her leggings tucked into a pair of bright red, rubber boots.

"I was just about to go out and look for you. You didn't come in to get any clothes, Castle. I can't believe you went out there dressed like that," she said, not mocking but concerned.

"It actually felt pretty refreshing at first, but I think a hot shower might hit the spot right about now." It wasn't until then that he truly looked at her. Her face was mystifyingly bright for the hour, absent any makeup at all, and more beautiful than he'd ever remembered, so much so that he almost found it difficult to form the words to continue. "Good morning, Detective, by the way. How did you sleep?"

"Come inside, Castle," she said, sliding the door open and tugging off her boots before following him inside. "I slept fine, I guess, but I was in a bed, so. How about you?" she asked and they met each other's eye.

"Oh, yeah, I was good...fine," he told her-a lie, of course. "Out like a light." Kate just nodded, and he wondered if he'd tried too hard.

"Well, um, the coffee's on. My dad isn't up yet, so if you want to take a shower, I'm going to put on the news for a little while. I think the tent guys are supposed to be here by 11AM and the caterer by noon."

Rick grabbed his pillow off the couch. "Wow, so this is like a snazzy shindig you're bringing me to. That might just warrant a few extra minutes in the shower so I can smell my best," he joked, stepping backwards as he moved away.

"The towels are-," Kate started to say with a forced grin, her immediate and only thought being how good he always smelled.

"…Under the sink. Thanks, I remember," he cut in. "Bonus points for the Becketts if there's a rubber ducky in there."

 **xxxx**

Theresa didn't show up at the house for any of the party preparation, which, to be honest, Jim considered more a blessing than a curse, given how high strung she could be. He was able to have everything set up outside just as he wanted, hopeful about success in minimizing the clean-up and disturbance of his property after all was said and done.

The day's weather was exquisite, a birthday gift in itself, warming to a comfortable temperature beneath a blanket of sunshine, without the threat of any rain in the forecast. Rick dressed in dark jeans and a white, short-sleeve oxford, opting to forgo the day's shave, which, unbeknownst to him, Kate actually preferred. In fact, when she first saw him after he emerged from his shower, she knew instantly it was going to be an impossibly long day. There was no way in hell her aunt was ever going to shut up about how handsome he looked, and there was no way in hell she, herself, was ever going to be able to stop thinking it.

Kate opted for a floral maxi skirt and a layered tank, the combination of which had Rick's jaw practically on the floor, as he'd so rarely seen her dressed in anything other than pants, and he still hadn't managed to quite wrap his brain around those blessed events.

"You look incredible," he told her when she finally appeared as he sat with Jim at the kitchen counter, a beer and a soda between them. "Maybe we should be celebrating you." It took everything in his power to remain in his seat, to not do something she'd probably slap him for, no matter what the weekend's calculated charade.

"Don't let Theresa hear you say that," Jim warned. "Her spotlight is only big enough for one." He stood and kissed Kate on the cheek. "You do look beautiful, Katie. So, Rick's already set here. Can I get you one?" he asked. "And just so you know, the box in the fridge is just for you. It's off limits to everyone else."

"Thanks, Dad," she said, taking him up on his offer. Rick still hadn't stopped gazing at her and she could feel it, though she did her best to pretend it went unnoticed. "How does everything look out there? People should be showing up pretty soon, no? I'm guessing Aunt Theresa still isn't here, though. No surprise there."

"None at all," Jim agreed with an audible sigh in his voice. "I'm really glad I went with the big fridge, if you know what I mean, though these would probably help me a lot more today if they could have some rum in them," he said, raising his glass.

"I live with my mother," Rick chimed in. "I know exactly what you mean." The three clinked in silent commiseration. "I have to admit, after the things I've heard, I'm really looking forward to meeting this woman today. I'm always one for a good challenge," he said turning to Kate knowingly.

"Oh, you're definitely in for that, Rick, and then some. I'm sure Katie's told you what a huge fan of yours Theresa is?"

"Actually, I-" Kate tried to respond before Rick interrupted.

"Is that right? No, she hadn't shared that tidbit of information with me. Why not, sweetie?" he asked her, pinching her at the hip. "I could've brought some books to sign."

"That's why, _honey_ ," she responded pointedly, the endearment sounding far less than endearing-her explicit intention. "Thanks for bringing it up, Dad."

"Maybe I'll just head out and check on the food, you two. It kind of seems like my work is done in here." The three suddenly turned in unison with the sound of a car doors closing. "Saved by the guest," Jim quipped, and they all made their way outside.

 **xxxx**

Theresa stomped right up to him and bear-hugged Jim first, who greeted her and her group of four-the five women who'd arrived together were practically inseparable-and then swiftly excused himself to chat with the caterer, his expedient getaway already sparking envy in Kate, who was next in the hearty embrace line.

"Look how beautiful you are. Girls, have you ever seen someone more beautiful than this?" she asked of her lady troop, to which they all blurted their emphatic agreement as if on cue. "My God, it's like looking at your mother," she told Kate, taking her by the cheeks and squeezing until she resembled a child's fish face.

"Hi, Aunt Theresa," Kate finally had opportunity to offer once free of her grip. "It's good to see you," she said, trying earnestly to sound as enthused as possible. "And, this is Rick. Rick, this is Theresa, my aunt."

Rick extended his hand and Theresa practically charged at him, wrapping her arms around his and pinning them against his body so he could barely move. "I am Richard Castle's biggest fan," she squealed, relinquishing her hold after too long. "Girls, can you even believe this? I told you." The four oohed and aahed expectedly. "He's so handsome, I almost can't breathe."

"Well, any fan of Richard Castle is a fan of mine," he replied in jest, while Kate remained silent beside him, taking in the spectacle.

"Oh, you're so clever," Theresa said with a laugh far more boisterous than was warranted. "No wonder you're a writer, sweetheart."

"Well, that and I like to wear pajamas to work," he quipped to another burst of laughter and a stiff palm to the chest.

One of the women behind Theresa cleared her throat in an attempt to gain her attention. "Oh, sorry, yes, my God, where are my manners? These are my girls: Doris, Phyllis, Maevis and Gladys." Each raised a hand in wave as her name was called.

"You're kidding," Rick said. 'Is that-?"

"Believe it, Rick. I'm the odd one out. The universe, I'm telling you, has its fun."

"Sums up my entire junior high experience," he chuckled, a second whack to the chest his reward for playing along. Kate couldn't help but quietly snicker. It'd only been minutes.

Theresa suddenly turned to her friends and spoke as though Rick and Kate weren't even there. "Do you not want to eat him alive? I mean it. I told you. And the two of them? Together? They belong in some museum somewhere, being so beautiful like this. It's like art or something, right?" Rick nudged Kate with his elbow and they exchanged a look. "You better keep an eye on this one today, Katherine. A few pops and shooters and I don't know what could happen."

"Yeah, sweetheart," Rick said, curling his arm around Kate's with a squeeze. "Please keep an eye on me. Or two of them, even." He puckered his lips and floated her an air kiss.

"You two," Theresa sighed over the coos of her inseparables. Someone called out her name then from across the lawn and she quickly shifted her attention to another group of arriving guests, scurrying off after them with her ladies in tow.

"We're a hit," Rick proclaimed with a smile in his voice. "We belong in a museum, Detective. Did you hear that?"

"Shut it, Castle. I can only handle one of you, today."

He withdrew his arm and stepped in behind her, leaning for her ear. "Well, she was definitely right about one thing. I've never seen anyone more beautiful, either," he whispered. "Come on. Let's go check out the food. I'm starving." He walked off for the tent alone, leaving her in need of a moment.

 **xxxx**

Nearly a hundred people showed up to celebrate her aunt, Kate guessed by rough visual count, and she couldn't have been more thrilled by all the attention, even donning, a short time after she'd arrived, a goofy headband with a giant number fifty protruding from it, so everyone could see her from wherever they stood. Kate often watched Theresa in wonder from afar, trying to imagine how it was she and her father were so close and yet so different-night and day different-and while she found herself doing the same that afternoon, she also had her eye on someone else and was she having the very same thought.

No, she and Rick didn't have decades of history, or family or blood linking them, but none of the reasons she shouldn't want him in her life or shouldn't enjoy his company so much seemed to matter. The plain truth of it was she felt better as Kate Beckett when he was around her, and that was a feeling she hadn't experienced since the death of her mother. The difficult part was trying to navigate the fear that accompanied it and to come out the other side, because she imagined what she might find there could be something, something she'd always hoped for.

Kate was about four beers into the early evening, the seemingly endless loop of Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd hits blaring from the speakers propped up in the cabin's windows worn beyond thin. Theresa and her posse were holding hands and dancing in a circle, each of the four having pulled a pink tee over her dress clothes at some point along the way that read "I'm With Old" in large block letters, the other revelers cheering them on as they jumped around gleefully.

"Making mental notes for your fiftieth, Detective?" Rick asked, sneaking up behind Kate with a cold bottle of Blue Moon for each of them. "I imagine you'd want a day just like this, subtle headband included."

"It's scary how well you know me, Castle." She took the beer from him and swallowed down a sip. "Thanks. I'm glad you brought this out because if I'd gone inside, I might've kicked the stereo into tiny, unrecognizable pieces. I don't know how many more times I can hear the same damn songs before I do something I regret."

"The playlist could definitely use some help, that's for sure," Rick concurred.

"Like a blackout," Kate quipped, sparking a shared chuckle.

"Well, can we maybe casually, calmly, secretly sneak out of here and go for a walk for a little bit or some-"

The sound of her tipsy voice, raspy with overuse, hit like a thunder clap out of the blue, and before the two knew it, Theresa was on them, an arm curled around the waist of each. "I really love you two, do you know that? Do you?"

Kate didn't speak up, so Rick jumped right in. "We do know that, Aunt Theresa, and we love you, too."

"I swear I don't know how you do it," she continued to gush. "I have been watching you two all day and I haven't seen you kiss one time. Not one time. You're both so beautiful. How is that possible? Explain that to me, Richard Castle."

Afforded clearance by Theresa's smaller stature, Rick glanced over her head at Kate, whose eyes dropped shut with obvious embarrassment. "Well, I suppose we just didn't want to take any attention away from you and your day. Don't you worry; my girl and I kiss all the time. You only turn fifty once, right?" He hoped in her state the flimsy excuse might fly, but they weren't that lucky.

"Baloney," she blurted. "It's time to pucker up, buttercups. My favorite writer and my favorite niece, come on, let's go." She grabbed each by the fabric at their backs and tugged them towards each other.

"Aunt Theresa, we-" Kate tried to object, but she was quickly silenced.

"I have been waiting for so long for you to find true love, Katherine, and it is my birthday. I am fifty years old today. Do you want me to be sad on my birthday?"

"Kiss her!" A random shout echoed from a distant corner of the tent, certainly not helping matters any.

Rick's and Kate's eyes met, knowing there was now no way out except through. He closed the remaining distance that stood between them and gently cupped her cheek, earning a hoot of approval from the crowd that'd gathered, and he guided her towards him until their mouths met. It was small, controlled, not a first kiss of grand stories in its infancy, but as he began his move to break away, Kate unexpectedly assumed control and opened to him, re-engaging him for more.

"Are you seeing this, girls?" Theresa hollered to the group nearby. "This is the best birthday ever-even better than Acapulco, Gladys, sorry. I don't care how cute that waiter was." It wasn't until she yelled again a moment later, this time for Gladys to fetch her another pink drink, that they pulled themselves apart.

There they stood, frozen in a moment someone else had blueprinted but that they'd built. Rick blinked purposefully, as though he believed it to have been a dream he would surely wake from, Kate's lips wet with his mark, and he leaned in once more, this time for her ear. "I'm sorry," he whispered, speaking words he wasn't even sure he believed, yet certain she'd need them.

Kate reached out and handed him the bottle that was still clutched in her hand. She wasn't sure why. "I just need to...I'll be right back, Castle," she told him, and he watched as she disappeared into the house. Ten minutes later, when she hadn't returned, he went in after her, ten minutes during which he drank down all of his own beer and some of hers, and fielded awkward questions from two strangers about when the wedding would be.

He checked her bedroom and the bathroom, but she wasn't in either, so he went out front to see if she'd gone to the car, though for what he couldn't imagine, and that's where he found her, perched on the back bumper.

"You didn't come right back, so I wanted to make sure you were okay. I can go if you want, though." It was clear to him she was lost in something. "I'm sure you're probably pretty pissed at me. What else is new, right?" he pushed out with a snigger, trying for a laugh amidst his uncertainty. "Yeah, you know, I'm just going to go."

"I'm not," Kate told him as he turned back for the house. "You didn't do that, Castle, she did. I should be the one apologizing. She's _my_ crazy aunt." She left out her own part in what'd happened, of course. That part of the discussion she wasn't quite ready for, though she knew he deserved it.

"She really is a thing, isn't she? In fact, I think I'm suddenly feeling an eccentric aunt for Nikki Heat coming on."

"Don't poke the bear, Castle," she warned. "Besides, she'd probably love it and I'd never hear the end of it and I'm not sure I could ever forgive you for that. I just finally got her off my back from the whole man thing. I need a break for a while."

"Say no more. I've just edited her out. And also, you're welcome. Helping you out has truly been my pleasure," he said with an audible wink.

Kate looked over her shoulder as "Sweet Home Alabama" kicked up again. "Shit, I can't hear this song again right now. You still want to take that walk?"

"More than I've ever wanted to walk in my life," he answered with like frustration, offering her a hand up.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

They were away for only thirty minutes or so, long enough to feast gratefully on the silence unafforded by the party, but certainly not long enough for anyone to worry, the first person they encountered upon their return Kate's cousin, Sofia, who was crouched next to the stairs out front, stealing a few puffs from a cigarette as surreptitiously as she possibly could.

"Still?" Kate said as though she'd asked the very same question of her a hundred times before.

Sofia extinguished the stick on a nearby rock, pocketing what remained to dispose of properly. "Hey, if she was _your_ mother, you'd be out here, too," she replied, her tone rife with aggravation. "But, please don't say anything. She thinks I quit months ago, and I will, I promise, but definitely not today."

"I know I'm new here," Rick jumped in, "but I think your mother's fantastic. Just wanted to say."

Kate and Sofia exchanged a look of a thousand words. "Quit sucking up, Castle. You just want to use her for a character in one of your books," Kate tisked.

"Well, yeah, I did until you poo-pooed it."

"So, that's how it is. Kate wears the pants in this thing," Sofia teased, punching Rick playfully on the arm. "Tough break, big guy. She's tough as nails."

Rick set his hands up on Kate's shoulders, kneading the unmistakable tension from them as he spoke. "That's just what I let her think, Smokey," he came back, "but she and I both know the truth. Isn't that right, gorgeous?"

Out of his sight Kate mouthed "No" to her cousin, who smiled and started back up the front steps. "I need to stop in the bathroom for a minute to, um, freshen up," she winked conspicuously, "so my secret doesn't get out. It's not going to get out, right?" she insisted more than asked.

"Oh, we're very good at secrets, trust me," Rick assured her, squeezing Kate's shoulders one last time before she pulled out of his reach.

"Great, thanks," Sofia said. "And you guys should get back out there. I think they were getting ready to cut the cake pretty soon…if it's even safe to let Mom around knives at this point."

The two cut through the house and attempted to fold seamlessly back into the crowd, Jim spotting them right off and waving them over, but they hadn't made it five steps before Theresa intercepted them. "Bet I know where you two went," she taunted with a wicked tone. "God, I miss those days, sneaking off to..." Nostalgia took swift hold and her thought faded into its spell, Kate hoping dearly her aunt wasn't about to recount something mortifying.

"We just went for a walk, Aunt Theresa. The music was loud and we needed a break, you know? All this fun-it's a lot." Kate watched as she tried to process what she'd told her, but she could tell her words had gone absolutely nowhere.

"You're my favorite writer in the whole world, Richard Castle," she cooed, still muted from her mind's apparent trip down memory lane and leaving Kate without any acknowledgement whatsoever. "I'd like you to have some of my cake."

Without hesitation, Rick offered her his hand. "I am absolutely in for cake. Let's go cut us up some ridiculously huge pieces, you and me."

When they scurried off together for the tent, Kate finally made her way over to her father, though she never did take her eyes off of Rick. She wasn't surprised by what he'd done. She'd seen his heart with his own family-with her, even. But there was something particularly sweet in the way he'd allowed Theresa to be Theresa all day, with all that that meant, and she couldn't deny the effect it had on her.

"You guys sneaked off for a bit, I see," Jim said to his daughter after pecking her on the cheek. "I'd ask why the heck you came back, but that cake does look pretty delicious, I have to admit."

"Hanging in there, Dad?" Kate wrapped her arm around his, linking them together, and they looked on as Theresa gathered her girls and everybody else around her. "She's had quite a day, hasn't she?" Neither could help but laugh.

"I know you being here today meant a lot to her, Katie-to me too, actually. Now that Rick's in the dating picture, she can finally stop asking me every time I talk to her why the hell someone as beautiful as you are is still single." He raised his can of ginger ale in silent toast towards an unknowing Rick. "You two seem...simpatico. You just, you complement each other well, I mean."

"You think so?" she asked, still following him from the sidelines. "He really is a pain in the ass, Dad. If you spent as much time with him as I do..." Rick and Theresa simultaneously fed each other a bite of cake and she lost the rest of her words to a smile.

Jim watched as the moment trickled upwards to her eyes. "Whatever you say, Katie," he said when she didn't go on. "Whatever you say."

 **xxxx**

The catering team cleared away most of the mess that was left after the revelers had gone, leaving a manageable chore for the Becketts and Rick to complete, even beneath the dark of night. It was near 10PM before everyone had gone, including Theresa's rowdy clan who'd promised to return for their leader in the morning, allowing her ample time, they hoped, to sleep off the celebration she'd so fully and admirably embraced.

The birthday girl was stretched out on the couch and had been for the better part of an hour, escorted there by Rick, whom she'd barely released hold of by the party's end. He'd tucked her beneath a blanket, with a glass of water on the table by her side and her bright pink shoes lined up and ready to go whenever it turned out she was, and even with all the back and forth and in and out of the others, she hadn't moved a muscle, nor did any of them anticipate she would, to be honest.

"Jim, you should let us finish up out here," Rick told him, garnering an eye from Kate. "You've done enough for one fiftieth. We can handle the rest of this stuff."

"Yeah, Dad, you should go ahead and go to bed," Kate seconded, though not thrilled about having been volunteered. "Whatever doesn't get done tonight will still be here in the morning and we can take care of it before we go," she followed, leaving herself and Rick with a welcome out if they decided they wanted to call it quits, too.

"I'm not one to turn down a gift, so I think I'll take you guys up on that," Jim said, and he crossed to Kate and gave her a hug, whispered a thank you and his love. "Rick, what can a brother of a zonked out fifty-year-old say? She loves hard and she's a lot to handle. Thanks for being so patient with her today. It was more than you should've had to do, but I'm grateful."

"Don't mention it," Rick insisted, extending his hand in return. "I had a blast with her, with all of you. Really, it was a great time."

"So, I'll see you in the morning for some...pancakes maybe?" Jim asked looking to Kate for a nod of approval, which she didn't have even one second to offer before Rick threw in a gleeful "Definitely! You will definitely see me for some pancakes."

"Well, good, then," he chuckled, giving Rick a hearty tap on the back. "Sleep well, you two, goodnight."

"'Night, Dad," Kate said and Jim went.

Rick clapped his hands together, his eyes open wide with excitement, the anticipation of the forthcoming morning more than his body could seemingly manage to contain. "I am so going to be the breakfast chef of this cabin, by the way. I'm setting an alarm on my phone right now," he said, digging into his pocket. "No one makes better pancakes than Richard Castle."

"My guess is Richard Castle believes that about a lot of things," Kate responded skeptically, not at all surprised by his braggadocio, as she tossed the dish towel she had in her hand off in his direction. "How is he at wiping down tables?"

Rick bent for the towel, which had hit him and fallen to the floor. "I suppose this prop means you'd like me to demonstrate?"

"No flies on you, Castle," she said and she pointed for the door.

Out he went to smoothly execute her challenge, but he was back inside complaining to a critical eyebrow just minutes later. "It's cold out there," he said, rubbing the bare skin of his arms as though he'd just walked in from a December snowstorm. "I can't perform to my optimal level under those conditions."

"Hope you don't say that to all the girls, Castle."

"Oh, ha ha."

"Don't like it as much up here in the country now, do you? Am I going to find the blueprints to your future abode in the trash can out there tomorrow?" Kate flipped off the great room light, so only the kitchen light remained. "And what happened to your shirt, Castle? You were gone for two seconds and you look like you were out there playing paintball or something."

"Excuse me, but I worked diligently in those two seconds and..." he glanced down to see what Kate was staring at. "...I don't know. I found a cup of something on the ground by the deck. It must've splashed me when I threw it away."

"Come here," Kate sighed, heading back into the kitchen and pulling open the refrigerator.

"Another round? Sure, I'm game. While the dad's asleep, the-"

"Club soda, Castle," she interjected with a huff. "Stand still." She tried to dab the spots on his shirt a few times, but he kept flinching. "What's the matter with you? I said stand still."

"It tickles. I can't help it."

"Are you five? I'm trying to save your very expensive shirt, Castle. Your very expensive _white_ shirt." She made one last futile attempt before resorting to other measures. "Fine, then." She tugged the fabric away from his body and slid her hand beneath it to act as a buffer.

"Whoa, hello, Detective," he said in an overtly flirtatious tone. "You know, not that I'm not enjoying the closeness, but this kind of feels like you might be knocking on the door of verboten, here, with that Don'ts list of yours. I might have to use the dictionary you said you'd buy me to look up the word 'overdo.'" She still seemed to be struggling in her efforts, despite the change in tack. "Maybe I should just take it off. Would that be easier?"

Kate stopped dabbing at the stain and stilled. "That's not…no, Castle," she objected emphatically-as if _that_ was something she was in a position to handle. "I'm fine."

"Yes, that's true, but enough about you. How's my shirt?" he said in jest, taking amusement in himself.

Kate pulled her hand free and backed off. "You know what? Just take it to the dry cleaners," she snapped, dropping a fist to her hip. "Are you ever serious about anything, Castle?"

"Do you ever laugh about anything, Beckett?" he bit back without thought of the words, and he felt the resulting expression on her face in his gut. "Kate, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry." He started to reach out for her but drew his arm back in. "That was stupid."

"Don't worry about it, Castle." She hadn't meant what she'd said to him, either, her only excuse-a wandering mind she couldn't seem to keep in check-one she couldn't share. "I'm sorry, too." She smiled softly and he returned the gesture. "I was actually thinking about making some decaf. Do you...?"

"Yeah, sure, thanks," he agreed. "I'm just going to run and change out of this shirt, and I'll be right back."

Kate watched him until he disappeared from view. Yes, she'd known him for months and she spent the majority of her waking hours with him, but he still left her curious, and in a way no one ever had. But she wasn't supposed to be wondering what it might be like, what just a moment without her guard up and the weight of what her past had done to her present bearing down on her might allow her to feel. She'd only needed him to get her unscathed through the weekend with her family. That was it. Monday would be work and reality and the welcome safety of distraction.

And yet.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Kate put on the coffee and stood and watched as it gurgled and dripped, so lost in its curiously hypnotic sound and in her thoughts that it took nearly a filled pot for her to realize Rick hadn't yet returned from the bedroom. Ever the cop and all too familiar with his penchant for trouble, she decided to go investigate what he'd gotten himself into, stopping along the way to check on her aunt, who had apparently grabbed one of her pink shoes from the floor and was now clutching it to her chest like a child with a security blanket. Perfectly Theresa.

She found Rick sitting shirtless on the floor of her room, his back propped up against the bed and a small pile of books at his side. She recognized them instantly because they belonged to her, though at some point they'd made their way up to the cabin to be stored with other items of less consequence. "What are you doing with those?" she asked him, sounding much like a mother who'd caught her child touching something he shouldn't be.

Rick hadn't even noticed she'd come into the room, and his body flinched at the surprise of her voice. "I'm… I found these. They're your yearbooks," he sputtered-caught-as though he'd done her some sort of service.

"Yes, I know what they are, Castle, and they weren't lost." She reached over and snatched the open book from his hands, her eyes falling to his bare skin, and less by accident than she cared to admit. "And can you please put a shirt on? Isn't that why you came in here in the first place?" Barely a glance and she was already flustered.

He jumped up onto his feet, and Kate kneeled for the pile of books he'd left on the floor so her eyes wouldn't be tempted yet again. "Yeah, I did, but my bag was right there by the shelf and I saw those stacked up and I guess I just got curious. Come on, wouldn't you have taken a peek?"

"I would've asked, Castle."

He had a fresh tee already out on the bed and he pulled it on. "Okay, you're right, I'm sorry. I should've asked first. But for what it's worth, I definitely would've had a crush on high school Kate Beckett if I'd passed her in the hallway. French Club _and_ the debate team? That's pretty hot, Detective. Come on. Hit me with an argument…en français."

"You really think you deserve a reward right now? Dream on, Castle." Kate set the yearbooks back on the shelf and moved for the door. "Coffee's ready. Let's go," she told him, standing guard to make sure he wasn't tempted to do any more snooping.

"Mais oui," he said cleverly as he stepped on by, but she didn't bite.

 **xxxx**

Rick took charge and fixed them each a cup of coffee, another tiny gesture of apology for his nosiness. With Theresa asleep on the couch, they were forced to go with the less comfortable option and sit at the table, though Kate quietly appreciated the formality, given whatever the hell her moment was with him in the bedroom, despite him being none the wiser about its existence.

"So, did you have fun today, Ms. Beckett? If not," he said, glancing at his watch, "I have about forty-five more minutes to make it happen. That was my promise, after all."

"I appreciate the concern, Castle, but you aren't responsible for my fun. But to answer your question, yes, I did enjoy myself, thank you. She may be exhausting," she said, tipping her head towards the couch, "but she always knows how to make me laugh."

"Well, I must say I am a bit disappointed that your pre-party prediction didn't come true. I never did get to see her with a lamp shade on her head," Rick replied jokingly. "But, her effect on you is already one of my favorite things about her. I wish you laughing was something I got to see a lot more of."

The skin of her cheeks warmed with his sentiment. "Guess this was the one party, then," she quipped. "Sorry. And laughing isn't easy with the things I see every day, Castle. You know that better than most people. You're there to see them, too."

He sipped from his mug, watching her as he did. "I guess that means I'll just have to work harder at it, then. My mother seems to think it's a specialty of mine. For once I might actually enjoy proving her right." Recalling the previous night out by the pond and their conversation, he decided he'd take things a step further and ask. "So, tell me, do you think you're more like your mother or your father?"

Kate took a moment to sit with it before she answered. "I don't know, really. When I was little, I was definitely a daddy's girl. We were, like, pals, you know, always out doing things together. I remember looking at him sometimes, Castle, and thinking there couldn't possibly be anyone greater on the entire planet. Once I got a bit older, though, my mom and I got closer. Maybe that happens with girls and their parents at that age, I don't know. But then she was gone and my dad and I had to learn which way was up all over again and we had to do it together-as together as we could with his..." She stopped mid-thought, and he knew why because she'd already shared that struggle with him.

"I can't imagine it's easy for him," he said, offering her a break, "but he seems to be doing pretty great now. Again, I know I'm the new guy, but as someone who spends a lot of his time observing, that's what I see."

"Thanks, I think he is, yeah. I told you about his heart. That's really why he's here and why he's as strong as he is."

"His heart and you. I've seen that, now, firsthand. Yet another instance where Mother was right, I guess." He tapped her mug with his. "More recognition you deserve." Kate gave him a soft smile, but nothing more. "Hey, you okay? You look tired."

"I just didn't sleep that great last night, I guess." He knew all about not sleeping great last night. "My brain was..."

"Yeah, mine, too," he sympathized as they shared a look. "Maybe we should try to go to bed, then, especially if I want to try to be the first one up in the morning to make breakfast."

Kate grabbed his mug and pushed back from the table. "Why don't you go ahead and get ready first. I'll clean these up. Oh, and, Castle, try and resist the urge to nose around my room this time, okay?"

"I bet my new girlfriend, Theresa, would've thought it was funny," he mumbled, feigning umbrage.

 **xxxx**

Martha had left Rick a voice message earlier and let him know she'd be up late, so he stepped into the other room to phone her back, offering Kate a chance to change out of her clothes and wash up, as well. When she returned to her room from the bathroom, she found Rick on the floor, again, this time stretched out beside the bed with a pillow beneath his head. She pushed the door closed behind her and tapped the bottom of his foot playfully with her own. "I bet my dad still has our tents in the garage if you really want to rough it, Castle. Never know. Might give you a chance to hear that shooting star you got all excited about."

"You know, Detective, you're always on my case-if you'll pardon the pun-about my jocular ways, but you're no innocent, yourself. The difference being my jokes happen to be funny," he jabbed to an inspired _Pfff_. "For your information, I'm trying to be a gentleman. There's a rather boozed-up aunt of yours crashed out on my bed, so I've been displaced for the night." He propped himself up on his elbow as she climbed onto the bed above him. "Unless you'd like me to go wake her up and send her in here to bunk with you, that is."

"God, no, I'd rather go with the tent, even in the cold."

Rick's eyebrows perked up. "You wanna?" Her expression told him all he needed to hear. "Another time, maybe," he said, dropping back onto his pillow, some part of his body objecting with a discernible crack.

Kate peered slowly over the bed's edge. "Castle, you don't need to sleep on the floor, for crying out loud. From the sound of it, I'm not sure you'd be able to get back up in the morning."

"You mean...?"

She could practically hear the thud of his gulp, which thankfully succeeded in helping to mask her own because what the hell was she even doing? Somehow, one tiny kiss had freaked her out to the point that she'd bolted, but sharing a bed with him for the night was going to be no problem? The voice inside her brain-the one she counted on to protect her from moments like this-was screaming at her, right on cue, to kick into detective mode, to formulate a plan, to think swiftly on her feet and to fix it before things went so far that she couldn't get out.

But there she was ignoring that voice again, the very same one that'd warned her against telling him about her mother, and asking him to play boyfriend for the weekend, and kissing him in front of everyone when she knew damn well what would happen. And it did happen; she liked it. He held some magic fucking power over that voice, and she couldn't figure out how to take it back. Nor could she figure out how to deny that the reason might just be that she didn't truly want to.

"It's a queen bed, Castle. There's enough room for two people." He sat up and crawled over to the bedside. "We'll just draw an imaginary line down the middle and we'll each have our side, that's all." _That's not all, Kate._ She heard it on a loop, over and over.

"You mean like _It Happened One Night_ and the Walls of Jericho?" Rick asked, delighting in the reference.

"If you feel the need to hang a sheet, MacGyver, have at it, but I'm turning the light off in five minutes."

He grinned at her proudly and hopped up onto the bed, the springs inside the mattress shouting their disapproval, as were her eyes. "You've seen that movie? Gable and Colbert, 1934?"

"So easy to impress, Castle, so easy to impress," Kate said, shaking her head. "Now, can we be grown-ups here, please, and just do this without making it a big deal?" If ever there existed an award for Hypocrite of the Year, she'd just secured its win with that statement, without question.

"You mean without overdoing it?" he ribbed, calling up her weekend admonishment. "Only one way to find out, honeybunch. Slide on over to the other side of that line of yours." He retrieved his pillow and pulled back his corner of the covers as she did hers, both tucking beneath them simultaneously. "My feet are cold, sorry," he said, clearly entertained by it all.

Kate twisted the knob on the nightstand lamp and the room went black. "Whatever they are, Castle, just keep them on your side." One touch, even an accidental one, was a thought too far.

"I will do my very best, I promise. And, not that you need the beauty sleep, but I'll try not to wake you when I get up in the morning. I know today was a really long day for you." He sounded adorably sincere, and that coupled with the scent of him and the proximity of his warmth had her spinning. "Shit," he exhaled not five seconds later and, of course, she just had to ask.

"What is it, Castle?"

"I should've said something before you turned off the light, but I didn't think about it until just now. Don't worry about it. It would've been hilarious, but it's not a big deal. Sorry."

"Castle, spit it out," she pushed out in a yawn because she could tell he was itching to.

"It's just...it just hit me how funny it would've been to take a picture of you and me in bed together and then send it to Ryan and Esposito. They would've lost their minds," he said with an adolescent chuckle.

"You're gross, Castle," she replied, though not entirely unamused by the notion.

Rick didn't hesitate for a second with his response, like he'd had it warmed up and ready to fly since the moment she'd come for him. "Didn't seem like that's what you thought earlier."

And there it was: the downfall of her remaining resolve in eight words. The eight words that brought into the light what she'd successfully managed to avoid acknowledging aloud for all those hours.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Playing dumb didn't become Kate Beckett, and she knew the second she said it he'd never let her get away with it. She knew precisely what he meant, what he'd known all day, every time he'd looked in her eyes, and the only thing she wanted to do more than smack him for it was to occupy his mouth so he'd shut the hell up.

She could feel the mattress dip as he shifted to face her, and her fingers clutched at her shirt in involuntary reaction. "Okay, Detective, we can keep playing it your way, like we always do, but we both know exactly what happened today." He waited in the hush that followed for her to say anything at all, but he eventually gave up, and with little surprise he'd gone unacknowledged. "Well, goodnight, then. Sleep well."

"What do you want me to say, Castle?" came tumbling out of the dark moments later, and from a voice he'd never heard from her before. "Honestly, what is it you want to hear?" He let her go on without reply, because he wanted every single syllable she was willing to give. "Yes, I kissed you today. No, I didn't plan to do it, and yes, I freaked out about it." He smiled, but modestly so, for fear he might be discovered. "I mean is that it, Castle, now that you've heard it out loud? Are you happy now?" She sounded anything but happy, but the truth was that she didn't know what she was feeling.

"Of course I'm happy, Kate, and it's not because I feel like I just won some contest, which I'm sure is what you probably think. You know, you're allowed to do things, sometimes, that you don't expect. Sometimes those are the best things we can do." Her eyes closed as the sensation of his lips floated back to her. "And I'm not expecting anything, if that's what you're worried about, but I will be glad it happened and I won't be sorry for that. I know I apologized to you earlier, but that was for you, not for me, and that's the truth."

"Fuck. How am I supposed to do this?" she accidentally thought out loud. "I can't..."

He wanted to reach across her invisible line and touch her cheek or her hair or her hand, something to calm what he'd started. "You can't what? Maybe I can help you if you tell me."

"You want to try and help me forget it happened?"

He chuckled unintentionally. "Oh, no, I definitely will not help you with that, Detective, no. And, in case you were wondering, I really wish that wasn't what you wanted because it seemed like we might be pretty good at it. Wishing away our contribution feels like it would be doing a cruel disservice to the art, not to mention my fragile ego."

"I'm not sure which to laugh at first, Castle, your astonishing lack of self-awareness or your fruity writer-speak." Somehow he knew the thing to say or how to say it, as he always did.

"Well, I told you earlier I'd try harder to make you laugh. No time like the present, right?" He pushed over onto his back, his hand unconsciously tapping the mattress at his side, and the vibration trickled through her. "It's strange how you can feel tired one minute and wide awake the next, isn't it? I may have to apologize in advance for an uninspired batch of Richard Castle pancakes."

More lines than one were in imminent danger of being crossed and she sensed it in every part of her, despite her suggestion that her earlier action wasn't something she wished to repeat. What moment if not that one? What opportunity if not the one that'd been placed in her lap by circumstance and a middle-aged woman with too many pink drinks in her system? What if there was only that moment in that bed on that night? She knew all too well what it was like to have tomorrows ripped away from her.

"Can I ask you something, Castle?"

"Always, shoot."

"Which would you rather: Do something with the possibility you might regret it later or not do it and maybe feel the same?"

Rick drew his hand to his chin and stroked it exaggeratedly as he pondered the question. "Hmm, I suppose that would depend on what the something is. I wouldn't, say, jump onto the subway tracks for kicks. And, yes, even if all my friends were doing it. I think I could live with the potential regret of that decision pretty easily. But, on the flip side-"

"Oh, never mind," Kate sighed as she pushed her body across the divide and took his mouth for the second time in two days, the hour now just beyond midnight. His arms curled around her form instantly, clinging to her waist as he rolled her over onto her back to claim the dominant position for himself, and he reciprocated her fervor absolutely.

The collection of moments that followed seemed to play out as one, their rhythm fluctuating between zealous and deliberate, yet the presence of each in what was vastly new territory never wavered. And though it wasn't to be more than that on that night, both knew-the time and the place unfitting the solemnity of what could follow-it felt no less pure in its limitation.

Afterwards, in the wake of a session neither had anticipated or imagined, the tips of Kate's fingers slid back and forth along the soft hair above Rick's ear as breath calmed and heartbeats settled. "Remember when I said it seemed like we might be good at it? No, no, we're definitely good at it," he said, the first intelligible words either had spoken in what seemed like forever. "And if you end up regretting this, please don't ever tell me about it. Let a writer enjoy his slice of heaven."

She curled his hair playfully in a fist. "I won't."

"Thank you," he cooed before the ambiguity in her answer struck him. "Wait, you won't tell me or you won't regret this? The latter, the latter, the latter," he pushed from the side of his mouth before she could jump in and respond.

"I can tell you right now I don't regret biting your lip," she replied impishly.

"Nor should you, are you kidding? I shall wear the scar proudly, like a Boy Scout with a merit badge in Exploration."

Kate leaned in and kissed his forehead. "Oh, that fragile, fragile ego of yours, you poor thing." He hummed faintly as her fingers continued their tranquilizing glide down along the curve of his neck. "You all right, Scout? Tired you out, did I?" She heard barely a squeak. "That's okay, I usually prefer you when you aren't talking, anyway." She let her eyes drift closed, too, Rick's head at her chest and her arm wrapped around him. "Thank you for being something I never expected," she whispered into the darkness, and they both slept.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Rick was already awake when his phone vibrated on the floor next to the bed, left there when Kate had insisted he fill the other half of it beside her the night before, and he reached down and silenced it as quickly as he could to avoid waking her at an hour he, too, found himself wishing his eyes weren't open to see.

He twisted his neck to try and steal a glimpse of her face in her slumber, but the shadows of early morning wouldn't cooperate, her body still bathed in its relative darkness. He could, however, distinctly make out her hand against the white of the sheet, its resting place beyond her side of the imaginary line she'd created and then so willingly defied and into his reason enough to grin away his weariness.

He had no idea what that day or those to come might bring them, or if she would want anything of him at all once she opened her eyes to their altered world of two, but he knew, more than he'd known the previous night and many before it, that she was what he wanted, and if that meant waiting one minute or one decade, that was precisely what he was prepared to do.

Giving his eyes a stiff rub, he managed to slide from the bed without a stir from Kate and he tiptoed towards his bag to retrieve his jeans. In one of his front pockets he found a handful of shiny confetti in the shape of the number fifty, given to him for "safe keeping," Theresa had said, as though she considered it a most valued treasure, and he exhaled a laugh at the beauty of it all.

"What's so funny?" Kate's croaky morning voice asked, muffled by the topography her pillow.

Rick looked back over his shoulder and could see she hadn't moved, so he came back around the bed to his empty side and crouched to her level. "This hour of the morning is so funny-best joke there is. I mean, have you ever seen it? It's like a whole different world."

"I should've become a writer," she responded, her implication clear. "Maybe it's not too late."

He reached out across the mattress and grazed the back of her hand with his fingertip, something, but not too much. "Impressive pun work, Detective. Very impressive." Pulling back he asked "Did I wake you?"

She shifted and curled up onto her side. "I'm not used to someone sleeping next to me, so I felt you get up." What she didn't tell him was that she took pleasure in the sensation, in knowing he was still there with her.

"I'm sorry. I really wanted you to be able to sleep."

"It's okay, Castle. I'll survive," she said with a yawn.

Rick pushed himself upright and went back over to his bag for a fresh shirt, her eyes following as moved and changed, and her body reacted in a way it never had with him before, given what it'd learned of his just hours before. "So, you're a stomach sleeper," he said. "That says a lot about you, you know." He stepped up to the end of the bed, and the urge to pull him back in raced through her. Whatever their night had done, it definitely had not served to mitigate her craving, and that was already abundantly clear.

"Yeah? Like what?" she asked, holding her impulse at bay.

"Okay, you got me. I just made that up. I like pretending I know things so you'll find me more attractive." He pushed his hands into his pockets and she instantly wished he hadn't, her imagination relishing in the visual of the prop.

"And you think that strategy's somehow working for you?"

He leaned over the bed and grabbed her by the foot, covered though it was. "Well, after last night, I now have an Exhibit B to go along with my Exhibit A, don't I? So, kinda, yeah."

"I guess you do," she replied coquettishly, and she felt it in the lull that followed; he wanted exactly what she did.

"So, I'm just gonna...pancakes and stuff." Rick backed towards the door, stumbling over his own feet as he went. "You stay, relax, go back to sleep, if you want. I can come get you when I'm ready...when _it's_ ready. Sorry. I'm gonna..." He pulled the door open and quickly ducked out into the hallway and disappeared.

Kate tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth, because that was all she could do, and with her hand set out across the invisible line, once more, she closed her eyes and imagined he was still there.

 **xxxx**

Rick was the only one up; he'd succeeded in that, though he could see that Theresa had been moving around at some point because her pink shoes were up on the table next to a half-empty glass of juice. He was able to find everything in the kitchen he needed for their breakfast, including the key ingredient that made his pancakes famous in his own house which he was surprised and thrilled about, and with a pot of coffee on, he set to it.

He fixed Theresa's batch first, each one of them with his or her own specially designed stack, and he managed to get through hers before Jim appeared, the oven keeping them warm until everyone was up and ready to eat.

"Good morning, Rick," Jim said, surprised to see him up, let alone having taken over his kitchen. "And here I thought this was supposed to be the host's job."

"Hope I'm not stepping on any toes, Jim. I just wanted to make a contribution to the weekend." He dropped Kate's first scoop of batter into the pan and let it set for a few seconds until he could begin to shape it. "This is a little thing I do at home. The girls enjoy it," he told him when his creation caught Jim's eye.

"I bet they do. That's very clever." He parked himself at the counter and Rick poured him a mug of coffee. "I can't wait to see what mine look like," he said with a smile.

"I will admit the vision for yours didn't hit me right away since we've only just met, but I am an excellent listener and I think you'll be pleased."

Kate happened to wander into the room as Rick was speaking and she overheard his comment. "An excellent listener, Castle? Seriously?" Her hair was pulled back away from her face in a tiny ponytail atop her head, her eyelids still heavy with sleep. "So, what did I tell you about putting the toilet seat down, huh? Guess you didn't catch that one." She stepped up to Jim and kissed him on the cheek. "Men," she teased.

"We're sorry," Jim said, taking one for the whole team and leaning in close, "but your special pancakes will make up for it, I think."

"My...?" Kate peeked over the counter to the pan on the stove and her eyes smiled.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Rick said with a note of defeat. "Maybe I should've gotten up at 5AM. Do you Becketts ever sleep in? It's the weekend."

Suddenly, a disembodied voice came out of the blue from across the room. "I sleep in. Do I smell pancakes?" Theresa's head popped up over the back of the couch seconds later and the others chuckled, her hair this way and that, the pink tee she had on over her party clothes rumpled and twisted. "What did I miss?"

"You didn't miss anything at all, Aunt Theresa. You enjoyed every single second, trust me," Kate assured her, hurrying over to help steady her up. "Rick's making us all breakfast. How about some coffee?"

"Definitely coffee," she agreed, sounding almost desperate. "Are my girls here yet?"

"It's very early yet, Theresa," Jim said. "They'll be here later this morning. Phyllis brought your just-in-case bag in from the car before they left last night, though, if you want to clean up before we eat. It's sitting over by the front door."

"I made you special pancakes, Aunt Theresa," Rick called out like he was singing a proud song. "Some coffee and a shower and these babies are all yours." He poured a mug for her, too, and Jim passed it along.

"I love you, Richard," she hollered back, her coffee in Kate's hands. "A shower, yes." Kate hooked an arm around hers and led her down the hallway to the bathroom, stopping for her bag along the way.

"Whatever you do, do not give her your phone number if she asks," Jim warned Rick only half-joking. "She'll definitely use it."

 **xxxx**

They all ate breakfast together around the table, Theresa seated next to Rick, of course, the pancakes a hit with all, though the chef refused to divulge his secret, to a unified pout. "I've never had them in shapes before, but I think it actually makes them taste better," Theresa announced, cutting into a second helping of her "5" and "0" shapes. "I am sort of jealous of those hearts, though," she added, eyeing Kate's plate. "You two are too much."

Kate and Rick shared a look when Jim chimed in. "Maybe he is a good listener after all, Katie. I barely remember mentioning the Yankees, yet here they are on my plate. And they sure do taste a lot better than mine would've."

"Thank you, Jim, for both compliments, and to you, Aunt Theresa, for just being you." He turned his attention back to Kate who was starting on her final heart. "What's the verdict, gorgeous?"

"They're good, Castle, thank you."

Theresa nudged him with her elbow. "I'm sure she'll thank you properly later, wink-wink."

"Theresa," Jim said in gentle reprimand.

"Oh, we're all grown-ups here, Jim, come on. Don't be a prude. Where do you think he got that nibble on his lip from?"

Kate felt warmth flood her face instantly. "No, that's not-" Rick started before Kate interjected.

"He's just a klutz, Aunt Theresa, that's all. I didn't..." But of course she had and she'd meant to and she'd been watching with adolescent satisfaction as the tip of his tongue acknowledged it over and over again since she'd gotten up.

"Kate's very gentle, believe me," Rick said, "and, Jim, we will now stop talking about this because I, too, have a daughter."

"Thank you, Rick," Jim enthused, gulping what remained of his coffee. "And thank you, again, for breakfast. This time, I'll handle the cleanup. Theresa seconded and insisted she help since she'd done nothing at all in service after the party. "Maybe you two want to take one last trip out to the pond before you head back to the city."

"I'm game if you are," Rick said to an agreeable Kate. "I just need to go put on some shoes."

Kate set down her fork, her plate clean. "I'll come with you. I want to grab a sweatshirt." _Stupid_ her brain screamed, and she chastised herself silently for her idiotic and, she imagined, wholly transparent remark. She was already wearing one.

 **xxxx**

Rick sat at the foot of the bed and pulled on his sneakers, Kate standing across from him, leaning against the dresser. Neither had spoken, yet somehow it seemed the room was swirling with words. "Your aunt should give lessons in hangovers," he said to say anything at all. "She handled this morning like a champ. No doubt my mother could've used her tips a time or two, I'll tell you that right now." He finished tying his shoes and looked up to find her watching him. "What?" he asked, without a good read on her.

She didn't offer any response. She just kept looking him and he her. "Tell me." His tone grew more insistent, and he pushed up off the bed towards her. Placing his hands along the edge of the dresser, he pinned her between his arms, one on each side, their bodies painfully close. "What?" he said again, his eyes making the short journey from hers down to her lips and back up again. "You wanna go again?"

He waited and watched as she summoned her voice. "Does it hurt?" She softly touched her own lip as she studied his and the memento she'd left.

"Stop. I don't care about that. Tell me what you're thinking about, before my back gets sore from standing like this and I get whiny. I know how much you hate it when I get whiny."

Kate inched her body up onto the dresser so she was sitting, and she reached out, grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him in. "Do you have any idea how much you frustrate me?"

"Okay, well, that's not exactly what I was hoping for, but I'll bite because I do enjoy a good guessing game and say...bigger than a breadbox?"

She softened her hold but didn't let him go. "You should probably kiss me again before I change my mind, Castle."

"There," he whispered pompously, closing in, "now was that so hard?"

 **xxxx**

"I really do like it here," Rick said as they paused at the clearing and took in the panorama before them for the final time that weekend. "I bet you didn't think I'd be saying that when you asked me to come."

"I don't know what I was thinking when I asked you to come up here, Castle," she replied in jest. "But, I'm not surprised that I'm surprised. I tend to feel that a lot when you're around."

"And is that a bad thing?"

She let him stew in her silence for a minute before she answered. "That's a new thing. Bad depends on the day." She took a couple of steps and stopped to make sure he followed. "Today isn't a bad day."

They walked the circumference of the pond and then returned to Jim's bench, the spot they shared not two days ago before abstract became existent. And they sat close, unlike the last time yet unspoken in execution, both with more questions than answers about what was to be once they left the bubble of their weekend pageant, one that contained less pretense than either could've imagined.

"So, back to it for us, I guess," Rick said. "Killers need catchin'." He'd always felt skilled at small talk, but even he had to admit that effort was a wild miss.

"God help the city if I left those two knuckleheads to handle things without me." Ryan and Esposito, ever the butt of the joke. "Plus, I have plants to try to keep alive. Sadly, they're about as much as I have time for." She heard herself say it and then realized how it must've sounded, like a suggestion she hadn't intended to make. She inhaled a deep breath of the fresh air and released it slowly. "I really was dreading coming this weekend."

"And now?" Rick asked with more reasons than one for the curiosity.

"And now leaving feels like the hard part." She gazed out across the water she'd said goodbye to hundreds of times before. "This place always changes me a little bit. I swear, I feel it every time I'm here. I don't know how that happens."

"Maybe that's why you keep coming back," he wondered aloud. "Maybe this place shows you things you can't see anywhere else. Maybe that's why it was brought into your life."

"Maybe," she responded thoughtfully.

And there he was, the Richard Castle that made it easy to understand how everything that'd happened that weekend had happened. Admittedly or not, she'd been walking two paths with him for some time, and up until a day ago, she'd been able to keep those paths from converging, but their moments of intersection, as frightening as they'd initially seemed, were exactly what she wanted, and there he was in their aftermath, still right beside her to walk on.

"Look, I'm not sure what I should or shouldn't say here, Kate, but I don't want to leave this place and what happened between us without you knowing that I don't regret a minute of it. Okay, well, except, maybe, for trying whatever the hell that pink drink of your aunt's was because I'm pretty sure it covered my recommended sugar intake for the next month. But, I digress."

He turned his body, as he had that first night, so he could speak directly to her without distraction. "Maybe this was one weekend, and we'll leave here and never talk about it again because we think it's easier-for ourselves, for the other person, whatever-but maybe that's not all it was, and I can tell you right now, for me, it won't be easier. None of the time I've spent with you has been easy, and for the best of reasons, Kate, but now that I know what it's like, what we're like, convincing myself to forget it would be an impossibility."

"Castle-" She tried to respond, but he just kept going.

"And I know that I frustrate you and annoy you and it's fucking scary and hard and scary some more, but I think we should try to try."

"Do you ever stop talking?" she asked when he finally came up for air.

"When you attack me with your mouth I do," he shot back.

"Yeah, well, why don't we go ahead and leave that as Plan B and you let me say something now." He drew two fingers across his lips, mimicking a zipper. "Castle, I have spent a long time living in protect mode, and I don't know how the hell it happened, but you bullied your way into my days and into my life and you found a way to see behind the curtain. And you're right. It is fucking scary because I've tried very hard to make sure that didn't happen."

"I know you have."

She eyed him sideways. "Are you talking again?" He shook his head no in silent apology. "We're such different people, Castle, and in a lot of not small ways, but I feel this...this pull towards you that I cannot shake. I don't know how to explain it better than that. Not yet. But what happened this weekend-what I did this weekend-I know it isn't something I can just ignore, and I probably owe it to myself to figure out what that means."

Rick raised his hand like a child in school. "May I say something now?"

"Yes, Castle, you can say something now."

"As a completely interested party with an extreme bias, you definitely owe it to yourself to figure out what it means. And, actually, you also owe me, because I'm going to have to explain this gash on my lip to everyone now until it heals, if it ever does, of course."

"Gash? Really? You big baby. Just go with the klutz thing. It'll end there, trust me."

"And you want to become a writer. Ha," he chuckled mockingly.

Kate set her hand palm-up on the bench between them and he took it. "I want to try to try, but you're going to have to help me and you know how hard it'll be for me to ask."

"A day or a decade, I don't care how long it takes. That's how good we are at it." He tugged her arm gently and they both stood up. "You ready to go home?"

"I am," she said he kissed her softly. "But for the love of God I am driving us home...grandpa."


End file.
